Shock-register for automobiles.



O. A. BENOIST.

$11001: REGISTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLIGATION FILED OUT. 10, 1911.

2 SHEHTSSHEET 1.

I 4. a/za/e QLZwzqaaJx Y Patented 001:.29, 1912.

G. A. BENOIST.

386K REGISTER FOR AUTOMOBILES.

APPLIGATION FILED 0OT.10, 1911.

Patented 061129, 1912.

-2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

GUIDE A. 3380181, 01 5'1. LOUIS, KISSOUBI.

sneer-anemia ma auromomnns.

I Specification otfibetters ratent.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

Application m ottom- 10, 1911. Serial no. steam.

invention relates toimprovements in shoci registers for automobiles, and the ob ject of my invention is to construct a means for automatically registering the number of times the automobile is subjected to unusual shocks, or the number of times the springs between the axle and the body are subjected toi'unusua'l deflections whereby the automoj bile owner may ascertain with what care the automobile has been driven.

With the above purposes in view my incal, sectional elevation of my improved shock register; Fig. 4 is a vertical, sectional sprin s 3 to the axle 2.

elevation of my improved register taken at right angles to Fig. 3.; Fig. 5 is a sectional lan taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3; and ig. 6 is a detail figure illustrating the manner of securing the registering mechanism against bein tampered with.

Referring y numerals to the accompanying drawings: 1 designates the chassis or frame for the body portion of an automobile.

2designates the axle and 3 the leaf sprJ ngs between the chassis and the axle.

4 designates a clip which secures the Extending upward y from the upper face of the uppermost plate of the ch 4 there is a boss 5.

Secured to the si e of the chassis 1, immediately over the axle 2, there is a bracket 6.

' 7 designates a cylindrical casing havin at its upper end an annular flange 8 whic is arranged to be secured to the bracket 6 by means of bolts or rivets 9.

10 designates the caslng of the register 4 proper, the casi drical and provi ed on its inner endwith an annular concavo-convexed flan e 11.

The cyhndrical casing 7 is provided with transversely. alining openings 12 and 13, and 1n assembling the register casin 10. is inserted through the opening 12 an the flange of the casing 10 secured bythe screws 14 to the body of the casing 7.

1'5 des1gnates a nut which is secured in the opening 13 of the casing 7 for the closure of the openmg. The nut 15 is provided with perforated webs 16 which cooperate with a perforated ear 17 to form a means whereby ,a seal, such as is shown in dotted lines at 18 n Fig. 6, ma be employed to secure the a cas ng 7 against Y in opened. The casing 10 of t e register proper contains theordinary geared disks 19 havin 1 numerals arranged on their peripheries, an may be properly termed a decimal counter.- vention consists in certain novel features of For t e reason that I may employ differnisms is so well known I do not deem it necessary .to illustrate or describe the detailed structure thereof. However, in the structure shown, one of the disks is secured to rotate with a shaft having thereon ahead 20 which normally occupies a position within the casing '7. For the rotation of the head 20 there is a lever 21 and, as means for limiting the movement of the lever. 21, I have provided a projection 22 on the lever 21 and the stops 2? which are preferably formed integral with the flange ll of the register casing.

24 designates a plunger, the upper face of being substantially cylini cut forms of such registers and their mechawhich is inclined and carried by the plum er there are the disk-shaped guides 25 whlch contact with the inner face of the casing 7 to e'tlect the guiding of the plunger 24. In order that the plunger may be prevented from turning relative to the casing 7 the forward face of the plunger is slotted at 26 for the reception of a pin 27 carried by the casing 7. Interposed between the bottom end of the plunger 24 and the upper plate of the clip 4 there is a flexible device 28 such as a coil spring which is secured',to the plunger by means of a screw 29 and at its opposite end embraces the boss 5. The flexibility of such a device as a coil spring permits of. lateral movements of the casing 7 relative to the clip 4!: In fact, if it were not necessary to provide for the lateral 'move ments of the car body relative to the support-z ing axles the connecting means, such as 28, between the plunger 24 and the clip 4, could as well be a rigid connection, the function of which means is solely to hold the lunger in a fixed given position relative to the axle.

In order that the spring 28, or other plunger actuating device, be covered and protected against being tampered with 1 have provided the elastic and flexible tubing 30 which is secured to the bottom end of the casing 7 and to the upper plate of the clip 4.

When an automobile 1s equipped with such a device as shown and described, assuming the car to be one which is driven by an operator other than the owner, the device serves as a means to enable the owner to determine with what degree of care the car has been driven. It is well known that when a car is not driven roperly, especially over rough round and at an unusual rate of speed, t ere will be imparted to the body of the carexcessive vertical movements which imply unusual spring deflections. By the arrangement of the plunger 24 and lever 21. of the registering mechanism, all such unusual deflections of the springs, between the axle and the chassis, will be registered and the owner of the car may determine whether or not the car has been carefully handled b the number of spring deflections registere I am aware that such registering may be accomplished by means other than those shown and described, hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the specific form of shock registering means disclosed in this application.

I claim:

1. In combination with a wheeled rigid sup ort and a frame yieldingly mounted on sa1 support, a registering instrument secured to said frame, and means inter osed between said instrument and said rigi suping, for the operation of said lever, and a 4 flexible connection between said plunger and the axle of the automobile.

3. In a shock register for automobiles, a

casing, a registering instrument carried by said casing, an operating lever for said 'instrument positioned within said casing, a plunger, arranged for movement in said casing, tor the operation of said lever, a flexible connection between said lunger and the axle of the automobile, and a flexible covering for the flexible connection.

4. In combination with a supporting element and an element ieldingly su orted thereby, a registerin evice secured lb one of said elements, an a connection between the registering device and the other element, said connection bein of such nature as to effect an operation 0% the registering device upon relative vertical movements of said elements and permit of longitudinal or lateral relative movements of said elements without effecting an operation of the registering device.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CONDE A. BENOIST.

Witnesses:

E. L. WALLACE, N. G. BUTLER. 

